The New York Pops: “A Place Called Home” with Megan Hilty

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Review by Jack Quinn, Publisher

Friday night’s “A Place Called Home” concert opened the way these New York Pops holiday concerts often do: without hurry, but with quiet assurance. The house was full. The stage was already dressed — garland suspended above the orchestra, a single wreath centered like punctuation — and the audience settled quickly into listening mode rather than chatter. That distinction matters at these concerts. This one leaned toward attention rather than spectacle.

Maestro Steven Reineke took the podium moving carefully, walking with a cane after a recent slip on ice. It was noticeable, but it didn’t cast a shadow over the evening. If anything, it sharpened the sense of intention. Reineke’s conducting favors clarity over flourish, and Friday night felt especially shaped — tempos clean, transitions unforced, balances carefully judged. The orchestra responded with polish and restraint: brass bright without glare, strings warm without syrup, the sound filling Carnegie Hall while leaving space for breath.

The opening sequence established that tone. “Deck the Hall” and “We Need a Little Christmas” moved briskly and confidently, their energy functional rather than decorative. Reineke kept the wit light and the pacing tight. When guest artist Megan Hilty entered for “It’s the Most Wonderful Time of the Year,” she did so not with flash, but with command — a voice arriving fully present, already in conversation with the orchestra.

This was Hilty’s second Christmas concert with The Pops. The first came eight years ago, shortly after her son was born. Friday night, that same son sat in the audience, now eight years old. The fact wasn’t underlined from the stage, but it registered — not as sentiment, but as grounding. There was a sense of continuity in her presence, a confidence shaped over time.

Hilty’s singing across the evening consistently lifted the room. Her voice has size and sheen, but what stood out was how intelligently she deployed it. She sang into the orchestra rather than over it, riding the ensemble’s current with buoyancy and control. In “Winter Wonderland,” she floated the line with ease, letting rhythmic clarity do the work. The charm felt natural because it wasn’t pushed.

“A Place Called Home,” from Alan Menken’s  A Christmas Carol, became the emotional anchor of the first half. Hilty allowed it to open patiently, her tone luminous without strain. She trusted stillness, letting phrases hover before resolving. The hall responded with a brief hush before applause — a collective pause that felt earned rather than prompted.

“I’ll Be Home for Christmas” followed with a different kind of radiance. Hilty narrowed the dynamic range, focusing the sound and sharpening diction. The emotion emerged through restraint rather than swell. Reineke supported her with a transparent orchestral frame, keeping the balance intact and the sentiment clean.

“O Holy Night” marked the evening’s first true vocal summit. Hilty approached it architecturally, pacing the ascent with care. When the climactic phrases arrived, the voice rose full and ringing, soaring because the structure demanded it. Reineke shaped the orchestral swell underneath with discipline, ensuring the arrival felt inevitable rather than indulgent.

The evening also made room for generosity. To give Reineke brief breaks, several guest conductors stepped in seamlessly. Judith Clurman, music director of Essential Voices USA, led the Hanukkah selection with calm authority and focus. A guest appearance by The Pops’ board president added a light ceremonial touch, while Santa Claus’s conducting cameo — brief and playful — brought warmth without tipping into novelty. These moments felt integrated rather than distracting, reinforcing a sense of shared stewardship.

After the intermission, the program widened its palette. John Williams’s “Merry Christmas, Merry Christmas” from Home Alone 2 brought cinematic color, with the orchestra and Essential Voices USA navigating the layered writing crisply. Hilty returned for “Santa Baby,” recalibrating again — leaning into timing and articulation. Her understatement carried the humor; the sparkle landed through precision rather than wink.

“River” became one of the evening’s most arresting moments. Hilty scaled her voice down to a silvery thread, letting vulnerability surface without theatrical framing. The sound floated, intimate but steady, drawing the audience inward. Carnegie Hall listened closely.

The closing stretch brought Hilty and Essential Voices USA together in full balance. In “The First Noel” and the White Christmas medley, her voice rose expansive and clear, blending warmth with lift. The final measures didn’t reach for grandeur. They settled gently.

“A Place Called Home” succeeded because it trusted structure — musical and human. With Reineke’s steady leadership, even under physical strain, Hilty’s adaptable, soaring singing, and a spirit of shared care onstage, the concert refined the holiday tradition rather than reinventing it. The music rose not through excess, but through intention — and that feeling lingered well beyond the final chord.